The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-386596 filed on Dec. 20, 2000 including specification, claims and summary is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structural unit for a construction, a construction made from the structural units, and a method for the production of the structural units for the construction as well as for the production of the construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional way of building a construction including a revetment, a retaining wall or the like, structural units are used for such a construction. The structural unit may be prepared by mounting an one end portion of an anchor for use with a wall surface member on a box-shaped wall surface member for the construction or a natural stone and providing the opposite end portion thereof with a resistance-increasing member for increasing resistance. The construction is built from a number of the structural units by laying a row of the structural units on another row of the structural units so as to lay each anchor for use with the structural member in a generally horizontal arrangement, filling a space formed by the structural units with filling materials, and embedding the space with them. This construction can provide a rigid structure having a strong resistance to ground pressure and water flow etc. and offer a living space for aquatic animals and plants.
For the construction with the structural units laid in plural rows in the manner as described above, however, the anchors and the resistance-increasing members of the structural units are embedded in the filling materials such as natural stones, cracked stones, cobbled stones, or the like so that there is the risk that the anchors and the resistance-increasing members may be damaged by the filling materials upon filling a space formed by the anchors and the resistance-increasing members of the structural units with the filling materials. Further, there may be the risk that rain water or the like penetrates into the filling materials and, moreover, the anchor is brought into contact with water penetrated therein or the like (including materials dissolved during penetration).
With the above situation taken into account, the present invention has been completed and it has the first object in an aspect to provide a structural unit for a construction that can protect an anchor for use with a wall surface member for the construction from being damaged upon embedding or from rusting.
In another aspect, the present invention has the second object to provide a construction built from the structural units therefor.
In a further aspect, the present invention has the third object to provide a method for the production of the structural unit for the construction.
In order to achieve the object as described above, the present invention (as will be described in claim 1) is directed to a structural unit for a construction which comprises a wall surface member for the structural unit, an anchor for use with the wall surface member, and a resistance-increasing member, a one end portion of the anchor for use with the wall surface member being mounted on the wall surface member for use with said construction so as to become apart from the other end portion of the anchor therefor and the resistance-increasing member being mounted on the other end portion of the anchor therefor; wherein the anchor for use with the wall surface member therefor includes a protective layer disposed at an outer periphery of the anchor therefor. The preferred modes of the invention as described in claim 1 below are as described in claims 2 to 8 below.
In order to achieve the second object as described above, the present invention (as will be described in claim 9) is configured by a construction comprising a plurality of structural units for the construction, each of the structural units including a resistance-increasing member for increasing a resistance, mounted at a one end portion of an anchor for use with a wall surface member for the construction, the anchor being in turn mounted at another end portion thereof on the wall surface member therefor; the plurality of the structural units therefor being laid on one another in the construction so as to be disposed adjacent to one another; and the anchor therefor and the resistance-increasing member being embedded with a filling material in the structural unit for the construction; wherein the anchor for use with the wall surface member is provided with a protective layer at a periphery thereof. The preferred modes of the invention as described in claim 9 below are as described in claim 10 below.
In order to achieve the third object as described above, the present invention (as described in claim 11) is directed to a method for the production of the structural unit for the construction, comprising: the step of preparing the wall surface member for the construction with a mounting cavity, a linear member having the one end portion functioning as a mounting end portion for mounting the wall surface member therefor and having the other end portion with the resistance-increasing member for increasing resistance, and a protective tube member in a cylindrical form; the step of inserting the linear member into the protective tube member from the one end of the linear member and projecting a portion of the linear member from the protective tube member; and the step of filling the mounting cavity of the wall surface member for the construction with adhesive and inserting the linear member protruded from the protective tube member into the mounting cavity thereof.
In achieve the third object as described above, the present invention (as will be described in claim 12) is further directed to a method for the production of the structural unit for the construction, which comprises the step of preparing the wall surface member for the construction with the mounting cavity, the linear member having the one end portion functioning as the mounting end portion for mounting the wall surface member therefor and having the other end portion with the resistance-increasing member for increasing resistance, the protective tube member in a cylindrical form, and a flexible tube member in a cylindrical form; the step of inserting the linear member into the protective tube member and the flexible tube member from a one end of the linear member and projecting a portion of the linear member from the flexible tube member; and the step of filling the mounting cavity of the wall surface member for the construction with adhesive and inserting the linear member protruded from the flexible tube member into the mounting cavity thereof.
The present invention having the first to third objects as described above can offer the features and advantages as will be described above.
Therefore, the present invention as described in claim 1 provides a structural unit for a construction having the protective layer at the outer periphery of the anchor for use with the wall surface member, which can receive and withstand an external force from the filling material upon filling with the filling material and which can protect water penetrating into the filling material or the like from coming into contact with the anchor therefor. This arrangement of the structural unit can prevent the anchor for use with the wall surface member from being damaged at the time of embedding and the anchor therefor from rusting during usage.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 2, the protective layer of the anchor comprises a first protective layer and a second protective layer and the first and second protective layers. The first protective layer can ensure the property of preventing the penetration of water and the second protective layer disposed at the outer peripheral side of the first protective layer can receive and withstand an external force from the filling materials upon filling the anchor with the filling materials. This configuration of the protective layer allows the first and second protective layers to individually and separately compete with the external force from the filling materials and the penetration of water, thereby providing more effective performance. Further, as the second protective layer having the stronger resistance to the external force is located at the outer peripheral side of the first protective layer, the first protective layer can be protected by the second protective layer from the external force applied by the filling materials upon filling the filling materials. Therefore, the first protective layer can be prevent from rusting by the penetration of water or the like for a long period of time after the anchor for use with the wall surface member has been embedded into the filling materials.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 3, the first protective layer is composed of a resin-covered layer made of a high-density polyethylene resin and the second protective layer is composed of an iron pipe. Therefore, the erosion of the anchor for use with the wall surface member can be prevented effectively by the resin-covered layer made of such a high-density polyethylene resin having superior properties of resistance to water, resistance to chemicals (acids and alkalis) and durability (thermal resistance). On the other hand, the second protective layer is made from such an iron pipe that can highly resist the external force from the filling material. Therefore, the actions and effects as achieved by the invention as described in claim 2 can be gained because the first protective layer (as the resin-covered layer made of the high-density polyethylene resin) can prevent the damages at the time of filling the anchor for use with the wall surface member with the filling materials;
Further, in accordance with the present invention as described in claim 4, the flexible layer is disposed in a series, together with the protective layer, at the outer periphery of the anchor for use with the wall surface member for the construction and interposed between the resistance-increasing member and the wall surface member therefor The flexible layer is located at the side of the wall surface member for the construction and disposed in abutment with the wall surface member therefor so that it can separate the end face of the protective layer from the wall surface member therefor and at the same time that the flexibility at that portion can be enhanced within the scope of elasticity. Therefore, the flexible layer allows the wall surface member for the construction to yield at a radius of curvature larger than when no flexible layer is disposed, even if a load is concentrated onto the anchor for use with the wall surface member therefor at the time of filling with the filling material. Thus, this configuration is less subject to damages such as breakage of the anchor therefor at the location nearby the wall surface member for the construction upon filling with the filling materials.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 5, the flexible layer is disposed in a distance extending from the wall surface member for the construction shorter in length than the diameter of the filling material for use in embedding the anchor therein, so that the filling materials strike into the wall surface member for the construction and are sprung back therefrom even if the filling materials would come into collision with the flexible layer upon filling with the filling materials. Therefore, even if the filling materials would strike into the flexible layer, the anchor for use with the wall surface member for the construction can be protected from damages due to the collision.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 6 on the basis of the invention as described in claim 5, the protective layer is composed of the first protective layer having the property of preventing the penetration of water and the second protective layer capable of withstanding the external force, disposed at the outer peripheral side of the first protective layer, and the first and second protective layers are clamped in a series by the resistance-increasing member and the wall surface member for the construction. Therefore, this embodiment of the present invention can achieve the actions and effects as achieved by the invention as claimed in claims 2 and 5.
The present invention as described in claim 7 provides the resistance-increasing member comprising a stopper panel and a movement-regulating section. The stopper panel is made of a synthetic resin and inserted into the outer periphery of the first protective layer so as to be movable. The movement-regulating section is disposed at the opposite end portion of the anchor for use with the wall surface member so as to regulate the outward movement of the stopper panel from the opposite end portion of the anchor therefor. The second protective layer is disposed at the side of the wall surface member for the construction from the stopper panel, and the stopper panel is provided with an accommodation section for accommodating and enclosing the periphery of the movement-regulating section with the anchor therefor centered. Therefore, the stopper panel itself can be protected from corrosion or the like by its material (synthetic resin), and the first and second protective layers are also protected from corrosion or the like on the side of the wall surface member from the stopper panel. On the other hand, the movement-regulating section can be protected from the external force by the accommodation section of the stopper panel. Therefore, the first protective layer and the accommodation section of the stopper panel can prevent the movement-regulating section from being damaged and corroded.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 8, the wall surface member for the construction is provided with a mounting cavity in which the anchor for use with the wall surface member therefor is to be mounted. The mounting cavity is beveled at its opening edge portion so that the beveled opening edge portion of the mounting cavity can control the concentration of stress onto the anchor therefor at the location in the vicinity of the wall surface member for the construction even if the greatest bending moment would act thereon.
The present invention as described in claim 9 builds a construction from the structural units for the construction as described in claim 1. In the construction, a plurality of the structural units for the construction are used which are each provided with the resistance-increasing member for increasing the resistance at the one end portion of the anchor for use with the wall surface member for the construction while the other end portion of the anchor therefor is mounted on the wall surface member therefor. In the construction, the wall surface members therefor are disposed adjacent to one another in a superimposed state and the anchors therefor and the resistance-increasing members are embedded in the filling materials. Moreover, the anchor for use with the wall surface member for the construction is provided with the protective layer at the outer periphery thereof.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 10, the flexible layer is disposed in a series, together with the protective layer, at the outer periphery of the anchor for use with the wall surface member for the construction in the structural unit for the construction, while the flexible member is clamped or interposed between the resistance-increasing layer and the wall surface member for the construction. Further, the flexible layer is located at the side of the wall surface member for the construction and disposed in abutment with the wall surface member therefor. Therefore, the construction can be built from the structural units for use in building the construction as described in claim 4.
The present invention as described in claim 11 provides a method for the production of the structural unit for the construction, comprising the step of preparing the wall surface member for the construction with the mounting cavity, a linear member having the one end portion functioning as a mounting end portion for mounting the wall surface member therefor and having the other end portion with the resistance-increasing member for increasing resistance, and the protective tube member in a cylindrical form; the step of inserting the linear member into the protective tube member from the one end of the linear member and projecting a portion of the linear member from the protective tube member; and the step of filling the mounting cavity of the wall surface member therefor with adhesive and inserting the portion of the linear member protruded from the protective tube member into the mounting cavity thereof. Therefore, the structural unit for use with the construction can be provided with the protective layer at the outer periphery of the anchor for use with the wall surface member on the basis of the protective tube member, so that the structural unit therefor as described in claim 1 can be prepared with ease.
In accordance with the present invention as described in claim 12, there is provided a method for the production of the structural unit for the construction, which includes the step of preparing the wall surface member for the construction with the mounting cavity, the linear member having the one end portion functioning as a mounting end portion for mounting the wall surface member therefor and having the other end portion with the resistance-increasing member for increasing resistance, the protective tube member in a cylindrical form, and the flexible tube member; the step of inserting the linear member into the protective tube member and the flexible tube member from the one end of the linear member and projecting a portion of the linear member from the flexible tube member; and the step of filling the mounting cavity of the wall surface member therefor with adhesive and inserting the linear member protruded from the flexible tube member into the mounting cavity thereof. Therefore, the structural unit for use with the construction can be provided with the protective layer and the flexible layer at the outer periphery of the anchor for use with the wall surface member on the basis of the protective tube member and the flexible tube member, respectively, so that the structural unit therefor as described in claim 4 can be prepared with ease.
Other objects, features and advantages according to the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification with reference to the accompanying drawings.